(a) The skin of the whole body should be washed every day. This can be
done with a basin of water or in a bath, and should be followed by a brisk rub.
The skin sends off waste matter, and also exudes oil to keep it supple; if it is
not kept clean it cannot do this work well.
(b) Hair should be well brushed for five minutes night and morning with
clean brushes. It should be washed every two or three weeks, according to the
nature of one’s work and the weather. Massage the scalp of the head with the
tips of the fingers each night.
(c) The teeth should be brushed after each meal if possible, and always on
rising and before retiring. A toothbrush should be scrupulously clean and
should not be used after the bristles begin to loosen. Wash up and down between
the teeth. Use castile soap or a powder. Food between the teeth may be removed
with a silk thread. Never use a pin or needle, as these scratch the enamel.
(d) The nails should be brushed each time the hands are washed, and the
quicks gently pressed down with a towel. Once a week soak the hands in hot
water five minutes, then with sharp scissors cut the edges in a rounded shape
and file them. Press down the quick with an orange stick and gently remove
hard skin to prevent hang nails. The nails may be polished if desired. Wash
and dry hands carefully. Equal quantities of glycerine and lemon juice rubbed
into the hands at night keeps them clean and soft. Never clean nails with knife
or scissors.
(e) Internal organs. The kidneys send off much of the liquid waste from
the body. Nature’s call should be attended to at once. The bowels or lower
intestine send off solid waste matter. This should be expelled at least once a
day, otherwise the whole body suffers, headache and bad breath result, and
disease may follow. The kidneys and bowels perform their actions more easily
if exercised at regular hours each day. ; :
Wholemeal bread, vegetables, and fruit all help to prevent constipation.
Each day a glass of water should be taken on rising, before going to bed and
between meals.
146 GIRLS’ HOME MANUAL
CHAPTER II.
THE SICK PERSON’S ROOM
Size and Aspect.
The sick person’s room should be as large and lofty as possible, and should
have a sunny aspect. A south room in winter, and a westerly in summer, is
suitable. An easterly room is too light in the morning and lessens the hours of
sleep.
Ventilation.
The windows must open top and bottom, and a chimney is also an excellent
outlet for impure air. The bed should be screened if necessary from direct
draught in cold weather.
Furniture.
The room must be perfectly clean, and every unnecessary piece of furniture
should be removed. There should be no carpet under a bed; a rug or two around
the bed are better than a carpet, as the former can easily be removed for shaking.
The bedstead should be a single iron one, the higher the easier it is for the
nurse. A wire and hair mattress are most comfortable. The bedclothes should
be light and warm. Use a clean sheet over the blankets instead of a heavy
counterpane. The bedstead should be placed so that the light does not fall on
the patient’s face, and the bed should not be pushed against a wall. There
should be a passage round bed. A small table near the bed, and another near
the door for the nurse, are convenient. The washstand should be on castors. In
infectious cases the chairs should not be upholstered. A comfortable chair and
footstool should be provided for a night nurse. Fresh flowers brighten the room
and a restful picture or two may be helpful. The walls of a sick room are more
restful and hygienic if kalsomined instead of papered.
Care of the Sick Room.
Clothes and utensils used for an invalid’s room should be kept separate from
those used for the rest of the house, especially in infectious cases.
Toilet:
Page 87
Presented as published in 1913. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
(a) The skin of the whole body should be washed every day. This can be done with a basin of water or in a bath, and should be followed by a brisk rub. The skin sends off waste matter, and also exudes oil to keep it supple; if it is not kept clean it cannot do this work well.
(b) Hair should be well brushed for five minutes night and morning with clean brushes. It should be washed every two or three weeks, according to the nature of one’s work and the weather. Massage the scalp of the head with the tips of the fingers each night.
(c) The teeth should be brushed after each meal if possible, and always on rising and before retiring. A toothbrush should be scrupulously clean and should not be used after the bristles begin to loosen. Wash up and down between the teeth. Use castile soap or a powder. Food between the teeth may be removed with a silk thread. Never use a pin or needle, as these scratch the enamel.
(d) The nails should be brushed each time the hands are washed, and the quicks gently pressed down with a towel. Once a week soak the hands in hot water five minutes, then with sharp scissors cut the edges in a rounded shape and file them. Press down the quick with an orange stick and gently remove hard skin to prevent hang nails. The nails may be polished if desired. Wash and dry hands carefully. Equal quantities of glycerine and lemon juice rubbed into the hands at night keeps them clean and soft. Never clean nails with knife or scissors.
(e) Internal organs. The kidneys send off much of the liquid waste from the body. Nature’s call should be attended to at once. The bowels or lower intestine send off solid waste matter. This should be expelled at least once a day, otherwise the whole body suffers, headache and bad breath result, and disease may follow. The kidneys and bowels perform their actions more easily if exercised at regular hours each day. ; :
Wholemeal bread, vegetables, and fruit all help to prevent constipation. Each day a glass of water should be taken on rising, before going to bed and
between meals.
THE SICK PERSON’S ROOM Size and Aspect.
The sick person’s room should be as large and lofty as possible, and should have a sunny aspect. A south room in winter, and a westerly in summer, is suitable. An easterly room is too light in the morning and lessens the hours of sleep.
Ventilation.
The windows must open top and bottom, and a chimney is also an excellent outlet for impure air. The bed should be screened if necessary from direct draught in cold weather.
Furniture.
The room must be perfectly clean, and every unnecessary piece of furniture should be removed. There should be no carpet under a bed; a rug or two around the bed are better than a carpet, as the former can easily be removed for shaking. The bedstead should be a single iron one, the higher the easier it is for the nurse. A wire and hair mattress are most comfortable. The bedclothes should be light and warm. Use a clean sheet over the blankets instead of a heavy counterpane. The bedstead should be placed so that the light does not fall on the patient’s face, and the bed should not be pushed against a wall. There should be a passage round bed. A small table near the bed, and another near the door for the nurse, are convenient. The washstand should be on castors. In infectious cases the chairs should not be upholstered. A comfortable chair and footstool should be provided for a night nurse. Fresh flowers brighten the room and a restful picture or two may be helpful. The walls of a sick room are more restful and hygienic if kalsomined instead of papered.
Care of the Sick Room.
Clothes and utensils used for an invalid’s room should be kept separate from those used for the rest of the house, especially in infectious cases.
Toilet: